Could It Be Us? | Maxley |

➳ 9

CHAPTER 9

Max

Bradley, Bradley, Bradley. I wished we were alone again. I wanted him to myself. He looked far too good to be in front of all these people. All the girls eyes, they were on him. Was he purposely not noticing them or was he truly that blind to his own beauty? With all those watchful eyes, it made me wish I'd marked him in a place everyone could see. Neck, jaw, chin. Anywhere. Everywhere. "You," Tank pointed at the girl Bobby was with. "I dare you to tell us the dirtiest thing you've ever done, or drink." Right, the game!

She laughed. "Let me think," she paused. "Gosh, I don't know. Probably fuck in a restroom." Tank and the others cheered, all except Bradley, who just groaned, clearly displeased.

"We love your honesty," Tank smiled. "Your turn, girl."

She looked at Bobby. "Bobby, I dare you to tell everyone your worst fear." The group went wild and started chanting "spill it." Bobby calmed everyone down. He pretended to think, although I think everyone knew he already had his answer prepared.

She looked at Bobby with kind eyes, eyes that any man would fall for. Why couldn't I see their appeal? She licked her bottom lip. "Tell everyone your worst fear. Don't lie." She tapped him on the nose. "You're going to laugh at this," she told the group confidently. 

He smiled widely at the girl, "losing you."

"Awh," she kissed him. As if on command, the group started laughing. The girl blushed, lobbing her hair out of her face. "I told you all, didn't I?" She had a sense of humor anyone could get behind. 

Bobby had chosen me next. Of course he had. "Kiss the person you find the most beautiful." The group started cheering, hyping me up. Instead, I took my beer bottle and ran it empty. It felt warm against my throat. Some of it had slipped from my lips, so I licked it. Bradley was watching me. I grinned. I crawled over to him, giving him an inviting but quick kiss. "Did you like the taste of the beer?" 

"You drank! Why'd you still kiss me," he said in between heavy breaths.

I said sheepishly, "you make me nervous." 

I knew I was in trouble the second I looked at Bradley's parted lips. They were puffy from earlier. I wanted another kiss. I wanted many more, to be exact. God, something was very wrong with my head. I left him sitting in shock and went back to my original seat. The rest of the game, it felt like we were eye fucking each other. His eyes would strand down my body, stopping at my belt. The tension was heavy. This tension, however, I  liked. It made me fuzzy all around. Something was so exhilarating about undressing the other person with just your eyes even if I knew that later, we'd do it for real.

— — —

By 11:30, Bradley had dragged me out of the party. He had an arm slung around my waist. His hand was warm against my clothes. He was leading me somewhere. "Are we going to your place," I mumbled.

"Shut up, stupid Freshman. I'm taking you to get a drink of water. Did you forget you need it to survive? It seems in the few hours without it, you lost all your ability to think," he groaned. "If you had any ability to think to begin with." 

"That's hurtful." I placed a shaking hand over my heart.

He cuffed water from the water fountain into his hands and poured it into my mouth. "Don't be so stupid next time and I won't have to say hurtful things, dumbass." I felt ten times better after getting water. I guess he was right in this moment.

"Thank you, darling."

"Whatever." He sat down next to me. "Do you think you'll remember this tomorrow?" I looked at his pretty blue eyes.

I shrugged. "Hopefully." 

Bradley puzzled his knees to his chest. "Max, can I tell you something?" I nodded. "I like you. Maybe an embarrassing amount. If you're not comfortable with my feelings, I understand. It'd be weird to do stuff with someone you have zero feelings for when you know they like you." 

"I still have to get my favor, Bradley." 

"Did you not listen to a word I said?" 

"Sure did." 

He sighed, "I don't understand you at all."